Serena Williams appears to mock Simona Halep’s four-year ban

tennis

go through Jenna Lemoncelli

Serena Williams has entered the chat room.

Some people on shadow.

“Eight is a better number,” Williams posted on X after the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) announced Halep’s disciplinary action on Tuesday.

According to Tennis.com, Williams won seven Wimbledon singles titles and lost to Halep in the 2019 Wimbledon final.

Halep defeated Williams 6-2, 6-2, her first loss to the former world No. 1 at a Grand Slam.

In another post on Tuesday, Williams shared a cryptic exchange with her husband, Alexis Ohanian.

The Reddit co-founder posted a photo of herself in the stands cheering on Williams as she defeated Maria Sharapova 6-1, 6-1 at the 2019 US Open.

“Some fashions are timeless,” wrote Ohanian, who was pictured wearing a DARE (Drug Resistance Education) shirt.

Williams responded: “Seriously, it’s not outdated.”

In 2016, Sharapova was suspended for two years for doping, which was later reduced to 15 months.

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The last time Williams faced Halep was at the 2021 Australian Open, when she defeated Romania’s Halep in straight sets 6-3 6-3 in the women’s singles quarterfinals.

Two-time Grand Slam champion Halep vowed to be “clean” and planned to appeal the ruling and “pursue all legal remedies against the supplement companies involved.”

The 31-year-old claims she changed her nutritional supplements on the advice of her coaching staff and doctors.

“Last year was the hardest match of my life and unfortunately my battle continues,” Halep said in a statement. “I have dedicated my life to the beautiful game of tennis.

“I take the rules that govern our sport very seriously and am proud that I have never knowingly or knowingly used any banned substance. “I refuse to accept their decision to impose a four-year ban. “

ITIA analyzed 51 of Halep’s blood samples and found “anomalies” in Halep’s Athlete Biological Passport (ABP), and Halep was handed a four-year ban. The passport is used to “monitor selected biological variables over time, thereby indirectly revealing the effects of doping.” “

“ITIA relies solely on the opinion of these experts, who only focus on my blood parameters – which have remained within the same range for more than a decade,” Halep claimed.

Halep’s first violation occurred in October 2022, when she was suspended for eight months after testing positive for Roxadustat. Roxadustat is a blood enhancer on the ITIA list of banned substances that “increases the production of hemoglobin and red blood cells in the body” but is commonly used to treat anemia. ”

Halep’s suspension is retroactive to October 7, 2022, and ends on October 6, 2026.